Law Enforcement from Lincoln County gathered last Wednesday morning to commemorate those who gave their lives in the line of duty the previous year. The names of 120 officers and 18 K9 units were read aloud as members of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard stood by.
The event was held on the north side of the safety building near the marker dedicated to Captain Elmer Krueger of the Merrill Police Department. Captain Krueger was shot and killed in the line of duty in July of 1952. Patrol Officer Carl Nystrom of the Tomahawk Police Department also gave his life in the line of duty when he was shot and killed by a burglary suspect in 1945.
Captain Krueger and Officer Nystrom are the only Lincoln County officers to have been killed in the line of duty and both agencies continue to remember their sacrifice.
The Merrill Police Department, Tomahawk Police Department and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office participated in the event.
The holiday was created on Oct. 1, 1961, when Congress asked the president to designate May 15 to honor peace officers. John F. Kennedy signed the bill into law on Oct. 1, 1962. Amended in 1994, Bill Clinton, through Public Law 103-322, directed that the flag of the United States be flown at half-staff on May 15.